


Thermals

by SpiderKillerTrino



Series: Legend of Zelda Kiss Scenes [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Injured loftwing, Kiss scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 08:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30002385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiderKillerTrino/pseuds/SpiderKillerTrino
Summary: Orielle's loftwing gets caught in a thermal and crashes...again. As annoying as it is, it does give her the chance to spend time with her favorite knight cadet, Link.
Relationships: Link/Orielle (Legend of Zelda)
Series: Legend of Zelda Kiss Scenes [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2207004





	Thermals

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to fanfiction.net on May 5, 2020.

Orielle sighed in frustration, shaking her head as she lay face-down on the grass. Her loftwing had crashed  _ again _ . That was the fourth time in the last two weeks!

They’d been cruising around some of the outlying islands to scout out potential sites for a business of some sort that Parrow had wanted to start (she didn’t recall him telling her what sort of business he wanted to open). She’d been about to turn her bird back to Skyloft when he had suddenly hit a thermal and spiralled sharply. She’d lost her grip on the reins - darn near slipped from the saddle too - before they crashed on this grassy patch of rock out here in the boondocks.

Next to her, the loftwing squawked in complaint, and she felt as though she might, as well; thermals truly were the bane of her existence. But she made no more noise than a quiet groan as she pushed herself to her feet and walked to check on her bird. Then she  _ did  _ groan louder. The loftwing’s right wing was bent ever so slightly; most people would have noticed nothing, but Orielle knew loftwings well enough to know something was wrong. As she pushed her fingers under the coat of brown feathers, the bird squawked again, and she pulled her hand away. She hadn’t felt a break in the near-instant of contact, but that meant nothing; there was probably a hairline fracture somewhere on the bone. While the bird  _ could _ still fly, she didn’t want to put him in any more pain - or worsen whatever injury he had. So she sighed again, resigned to waiting for one of the knights to pass by.

“Another thermal?” came a voice from her left. She turned to see Link, one of the knight cadets, slide off the saddle of his red loftwing and approach her. 

“Yeah,” she replied. “I bloody  _ hate  _ those things!” Though her voice didn’t betray it, her spirits had instantly lifted seeing his green uniform and unruly blond locks. She’d never tell anyone, but she’d always had a soft spot for the knight cadets; one of her secret dreams was to cast as the goddess for a Wing Ceremony and spend time - however brief - in the close company of one of them. Link, in particular, had been catching her fancy lately. The lad had rescued her every single time she’d crashed, though that was hardly surprising, as he seemed to be constantly flying around on that brilliant blood-red bird of his. He was, without a doubt, the most incredibly helpful and polite person she’d met, on top of being nice to look at.

He was rolling his eyes now. “You seem to have the worst luck ever when it comes to thermals,” he quipped. “Do you need me to pick up one of your brother’s concoctions again?”

Orielle shook her head. “Not sure it’ll work this time,” she answered. “I suspect it’s a hairline fracture this time.”

Link winced. “I guess I’d better grab some other knights to tow your bird back to Skyloft,” he surmised.

“Better take him to my place,” Orielle said. “Parrow and I can take a look at him. While you’re getting the knights, I’ll try and splint him up.” Link nodded and turned back to his own bird, taking off after a few seconds.

It took Orielle maybe five minutes to put a temporary splint on her bird’s wing. She and her brother were the acknowledged experts on loftwings around Skyloft, and they’d taken care of problems like this in other birds, so she was pretty well-practiced at it.

It surprised her when Link showed back up right as she finished, with one of the fully-trained knights alongside. They certainly took their job seriously, she thought. The unknown knight’s saddle had some complex array of straps hanging from it, which he immediately set to work attaching to her own loftwing. It turned out to be a harness that would keep the bird secure and unmoving as it was airlifted. Link was attaching the end of one of the straps to the back of his own saddle, which told Orielle that both birds would be towing hers together.

When they’d finished, Link offered his hand to her from his saddle. “May I have the honor?” he asked, blue eyes twinkling with humor. Though she snorted in amusement, she was also fighting a light blush at Link’s manner. She didn’t hesitate to take his hand and swing into the saddle behind him. And with that, they were off, a bit slowly, given the weight they were lifting into the air.

But Orielle didn’t mind the slowness. As she wrapped her arms around Link’s waist, she acknowledged how much she’d enjoy having an extra-long flight with him.

Link, for his part, turned a little pink as he felt her press herself up against his back. She’d told him once about her feelings about knight cadets like him, and given how often they saw each other, he was beginning to guess that she might be interested in him. If so, he had to admit that the feeling was mutual. Most folks believed he had feelings for the slender, blonde Zelda, and they could certainly be forgiven for the assumption. But he found Orielle to be just as attractive, both in appearance and personality; he didn’t know what made him favor her over his childhood friend. At any rate, having the brunette this close to him was causing his pulse to quicken.

It was fifteen minutes before they lowered Orielle’s loftwing to the ground in front of her house. The three riders slid from the saddles. Link and the other knight got to work unfastening the harness that kept Orielle’s bird in place. In seconds, they were done. They helped Parrow, who’d come out of the house, to lift and move the bird into his makeshift clinic (namely, the dining room). Then the unknown knight saluted them all before taking off again.

“I hope your bird heals up soon,” Link said to Orielle as he moved to do the same, but she grabbed his hand before he could leave. She wasn’t sure why; perhaps spending fifteen minutes snuggled up to Link had emboldened her.

The blush that she’d delayed for so long finally began to color her face as she looked at the cadet. “Hey, I saw you during the Wing Ceremony,” she said. “I wish I could’ve played the goddess this year. This year specifically, I mean. I...I know we haven’t  _ really _ gotten to know each other  _ that _ well, but I think I know enough to know that I really like you. So...yeah.”

Link’s eyes widened, and his own face began to redden. He wasn’t really surprised that she liked him, but the fact that she’d openly told him had caught him off guard. Still, he managed to collect himself enough to reply “I...like you too. Maybe we could...go flying sometime? When your loftwing heals up?”

Orielle smiled ruefully. “I dunno,” she said, “knowing my luck, we’ll  _ both _ hit a thermal. What about lunch tomorrow? Next to the platform, there’s a little area there. How about we meet at eleven at the bazaar?”

Link’s mouth quirked up. “Sounds good,” he affirmed. “It’s on me. I...guess I’ll see you then.” He began to turn again, as if to mount his bird, but Orielle tugged on his hand (which she was still holding), raising her free hand to his face and bringing it down to the level of hers as she pressed her lips softly to his.

It was the most wonderful five seconds of her day, though it felt  _ far _ too short for her. As they broke their brief kiss, her brown eyes met his blue as they stared at each other, catching their breaths. At length, she whispered to him, “I’ll be wanting a longer one tomorrow.”

Link smiled. “Your wish is my command,” he whispered in reply, and pecked her on the lips once more, before he was in the saddle of his loftwing, taking off and bidding her a good day.

As Orielle watched him go, one thought sprang quickly to mind:  _ Thank Hylia for thermals _ .


End file.
